


One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

by rainwrites



Series: The Little Things [16]
Category: EXO (Band), f(x)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-15
Updated: 2013-09-15
Packaged: 2017-12-26 15:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/967846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainwrites/pseuds/rainwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Sehun has a crush, Sunyoung is oblivious, and the rest of EXO aren't helping much. [Sehun/Luna]</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

“Sehun? Are you even listening?” Jongin’s voice drags the other boy back to the present, particularly a crowded, noisy cafeteria inside SME 9 o’clock in the morning.

“Huh?” Sehun mumbles, trying to focus, which is quite difficult at the moment because, well, he’s a bit… preoccupied.

“I was trying to tell you about that famous choreographer coming tomorrow. You know, the one who’s going to teach us the dance to our new song? I’m actually kind of nervous…”

Jongin continues to ramble on about his anxiety (which Sehun doesn’t understand— the older boy has always been one of the best dancers he knows) as he pretends to listen, nodding every so often so the other thinks he’s paying attention.

And anyway, in this case, he’s too busy concentrating on something else. That is, a pair of attractive eyes and a pretty face and a wonderful,  _wonderful_  smile.

So there she is— Park Sunyoung, sitting a few tables away, reading a book and happily content with being by herself. She looks no different than usual, hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head and donned in her favorite purple sweater.

He continues to observe the girl, smiling at the minor changes of expression while she reads. She seems to be fully engrossed in her book, a wistful smile playing on her lips as she loses focus on the world around her. Sehun likes watching her read.

All of a sudden, someone from behind their table calls out her name; Sunyoung lifts her head and Sehun finds himself staring into the most beautiful, stunning brown eyes.

For a moment, he feels the world slow down. He watches as Sunyoung waves enthusiastically, smiling brightly at whoever has called her, before turning back to her book.

_Ah, Sunyoung._

Sehun hopes that one day she’ll look over and see him, and he’ll walk right up to her and tell her how beautiful she is, how she brightens his day with her cheerful smiles and shining eyes—

Quickly, Sehun shakes his head, ridding himself of such thoughts before he gets too excited. Even so, his heart thumps a little wildly, and he probably has this stupid grin on his face, but it doesn’t matter.

He can still hear Jongin chatting away distantly, but he’s too busy sending more than subtle glances in Sunyoung’s direction to actually care about what he’s saying.

 

* * *

 

“I think I like her.”

(Like,  _like._  As in more than a friend.)

Jongdae is the first to know, having accidentally clicked through a folder full of Sunyoung’s photos when he borrowed his computer one night. Sehun doesn’t try to deny, lets the older boy tease him mercilessly about the petite vocalist.

“So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Sehun sighs, “It’s just, sometimes I think she doesn’t even know I exist.”

“Of course she knows you exist,” Jongdae argues lightly, “It’s just that she doesn’t know you exist as a… romantic option.”

“What do I do then?”                         

“Well…” Jongdae’s eyes twinkle menacingly, and it scares Sehun the tiniest bit. “For a start, you can try smiling more. A flirty smile can make a difference, you know.”

 

* * *

 

So here Sehun stands, in front of a mirror, alone. He doesn’t really think he looks attractive smiling, but he tries it anyway.

And yet he can’t keep it up for more than a second and a half, before he buries his face in his hands in mortification.

“This is ridiculous.”

He can flex his muscles and pretend to advertise products in front of the mirror all day long (with Baekhyun, of course), but trying to smile flirtatiously at his own reflection just teeters on borderline embarrassment.

Sehun sighs, mustering up the courage to try it for one last time.

“ _Ugh_ , I look like an idiot.”

His reflection stares back at him dumbly, and he looks like he’s suffering from some sort of a sick stomach condition and a nervous cheek twitch. Sehun shakes his head vigorously, shoving the mirror far,  _far_  away.

Yes, he should probably ask another member for help.

 

* * *

 

“Have you tried talking to her?”

Sehun consults Minseok next, ambushing the latter in the bathroom while he was getting ready for bed.

Sehun trusts Kim Minseok. As the oldest member, he should have the most experience, and consequently, give the best advice, right?

“No,” the  _maknae_  replies, handing Minseok his toothbrush while putting a dab of toothpaste on his own. “Whenever I stalk— _see_  her, I always get nervous, and when I open my mouth to talk the words just won’t come out!” he finishes with a huff, cheeks reddening in slight frustration and eyes glaring at the sink like it is the cause of all his troubles.

“Just… be yourself, I guess.” Sehun frowns, opening his mouth to say something in reply when the older boy cuts him off by lifting a hand to his face. “Be polite. Be friendly. Or help her in small ways if you can. Just… talk to her, okay?”

 

* * *

 

He is walking home with Joonmyun and Baekhyun one rainy evening when he sees Sunyoung again. She’s alone, and apparently without a jacket and an umbrella, too, as she stands under an overhang of some sort, holding her arms against herself as she tries to keep warm.

“Sunyoung!” Joonmyun calls out before he can do so, and the girl turns her head in surprise, waving happily when she recognizes them.

They fold up their umbrellas as they walk up to stand next to her. “Are you waiting out the rain?”

“Yes,” she answers, “but it doesn’t seem to be letting up.” She looks at the sky with a slight pout, cocking her head to the side, and Sehun watches, slight wonder on his face as his eyes move across the profile of her face.

_Ah, how cute._

Baekhyun elbows him from his left, which shakes his from his daze, and quickly he tries to collect himself.

“We’ll walk you to your dorm, if you don’t mind. Sehun’s umbrella is big enough, isn’t it?” The older boy turns to him with a cheeky wink, and Sehun nods slowly, still in a bit of a haze.

“Thank you, but I don’t want to keep you from going home earlier, and I—”

Joonmyun takes her bag in his free hand without warning, as Baekhyun gives her a gentle push towards Sehun, effectively cutting her off. The boys sans the  _maknae_ then step out in the rain, under their umbrella’s protection.

“Shall we go?”

On the other hand, Sehun can only blink in surprise as the petite girl is thrust towards him. He reaches out to catch her lest she falls, and  _goodness,_  her brown eyes are gorgeously stunning this close.

He remains silent, unable to speak with his heart feeling like it’s going to jump out of his chest. Or perhaps he’s still trying to comprehend what has just happened.

Sehun’s eyes widen the second he realizes the perfect opportunity his  _hyungs_  have opened up for him. With Sunyoung beside him (and closer than he’s always imagined, too, if they are to share an umbrella), he can talk to her, maybe have a brief but meaningful conversation.

“Sehun?”

He is shaken from his thoughts when he feels her tug on the corner of his sleeve. They must have stood there for so long, because as he’s about to step out of the overhang with her, the rain has already subsided.

“Oh look, it isn’t raining anymore,” she says, “Thank you for offering to bring me home, but I think I can manage from here.”

“W—“ Sehun starts to say, but the word is stuck in his throat. “Bye,” he says finally, but she’s already stepped out into the night.

Sehun sighs. Another time.

 

* * *

 

“Even mother nature is against me!” he laments during breakfast the next day. “This is so unfair!”

“Sehun, you’re being a bit over-dramatic, don’t you think?” Kyungsoo says, placing a stack of pancakes on his plate and a steaming mug of chocolate in front of him.

“I wasn’t even able to say anything,” Sehun complains, pulling on his already messy hair before burying his face in his hands in frustration, “I just stood there like an idiot.”

Kyungsoo sighs, patting the  _maknae_  on the head before taking a sip of his coffee, “Maybe you should try a different approach.”

“What do you mean?”

“How about impressing her with your skills? Make her notice you. Tell me, what’s something you’re really good at?”

 

* * *

 

The opportunity comes a couple of days later, when a few of their  _sunbaes_  (which, fortunately, included Sehun’s object of affection) come over to watch them practice for their comeback.

Sehun is a good dancer. He knows this, and he’ll show them ( _her_ ) just how good he is. 

But things just have to be made more difficult because fate is so against him, he figures. A camera guy appears out of nowhere, announcing that they’re filming their practice video today as well.

All of a sudden, the room is on fire, as he finds the rest of his members more pumped up than usual. The music starts, and they begin to dance. Oh,  _what the heck._ He starts to show off all he has, moving his body to the beat of the music.

As he dances, he catches a flash of raven hair, which could have only been Sunyoung. His heart pounds, a line of sweat forming under his bangs, and he feels himself lose focus for a while, but he carries on.

It ends with Jongin standing in the middle of the room, brandishing his cap at the cameraman. In an instant, the audience starts applauding, cheering them as best as they can. Sehun lets out a little smile, pleased with himself.

His heart pounds when they start approaching them, yet they seem to zero in on Jongin and Yixing, and even Minseok and Lu Han. They compliment the boys on their  _exceptional_ dancing skills, and an almost imperceptible frown forms on his face.

“Our Sehun did well, too!” Victoria and Yuri are on his side all of a sudden, and he scratches at the back of his head as the girls start praising him. He’s thankful, really, but somehow it doesn’t mean half as much not coming from  _her._

Where is she anyway?

He looks around the room, and he can’t help the scowl on his face when he spots Sunyoung talking to Yixing and Lu Han in the corner. Sehun wonders if his  _hyungs_  don’t _feel_  him glaring daggers at them.

 

* * *

 

Sehun stares at the laptop screen, glaring at nothing in particular. It isn’t unusual for the  _maknae_  to be brooding, but the reason for it is.

Why,  _oh why_ , can’t he get Sunyoung to notice him?

He feels like banging his head on the table and throwing his body on the living room floor in frustration, but he isn’t really alone at the moment. Beside him, Chanyeol looks on in worry.

“What’s the matter, Sehun?”          

“She didn’t even notice me!” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him when he slams the laptop shut, because the device actually belongs to Chanyeol himself. But  _who cares_.

“Well she would have, if you’d only stayed longer,” Chanyeol tells him, rescuing his laptop from the younger boy’s clutches. “Why did you leave so soon anyway?”

“Well, I… You see, I—”

He scrambles to find an excuse, anything but  _‘I got too upset and jealous’_  because that sounds rather immature, but thankfully the older boy lets the topic go.

“Anyway, I just got a message from Shindong- _hyung_. Apparently, f(x) will be the guests on his radio show tonight.”

 

 

They tune in to Shindong’s  _Shimshimtapa_ , where they learn more about the girls (though Sehun couldn’t care less about the other members apart from Sunyoung). At one point, they discuss their ideal types, which seemingly sparks Chanyeol’s interest more than anything.

“Hey,” Chanyeol nudges him none-too-gently, and what Sehun sees scares him even more than Jongdae that other night, because the other boy has this manic look on his face. “You wanted Sunyoung to notice you right?”

He nods.

“Maybe… she’ll notice you if you were more like her ideal type.”

 

* * *

 

It is hot,  _too hot_ , yet here Sehun lies, stretched out on his back and sprawled like a sacrifice, surrendering himself to the sun. The sand against his back scorches his skin, and the sun's rays beat down on his exposed flesh mercilessly.

He has already gotten some color, the usual chalky ivory of his skin pale but warmer, healthier looking. A couple of minutes more and he’ll get a nice tan.

“This is a stupid idea.”

Beside him, Jongin sits under the shade of a large umbrella, hidden behind his sunglasses while listening to music and sipping lemonade. “Why are we out here again?”

That’s a really good question, Sehun thinks.  _Why are we out here again?_

It’s Chanyeol’s fault, he concludes. He’s the one who put the idea in his head.

 _‘Lightly tan skin, full lips, natural hair, muscles, and looks good in training suits.’_ ('Hey, Isn’t that Jongin?’ Chanyeol has commented lightly. No. Just,  _no_.)

“I told you, I just feel like getting some color,” he says, raising a hand and beckoning Jongin over. “You should join me.”

“I’m tanned enough, thanks,” the older boy says, before standing up and shoving Sehun with his foot. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going inside, where it is  _cool_  and  _comfortable_. Enjoy basking in the sun.”

“Tch.” He huffs, glancing at the glass of lemonade Jongin left beside him. It is frosted with condensation, cool and inviting, but he can’t move under the weight of the heat.

He closes his eyes.

“Whatever.”

 

 

Nonetheless, Sehun ends up getting sunburnt, having fallen asleep for hours, skin so raw and red and inflamed from head to toe. Jongin takes care of him, helping him apply aloe all over his skin without complaint, but not before laughing at him for getting tan lines from the sunglasses he wore.

“Sunyoung will definitely notice you now, alright.”

Sehun feels like crying. He’s never going sunbathing again.

 

* * *

 

“Why did you burn yourself?”

“Go away,  _hyung_ ,” he moans, but Lu Han’s already slipped off his shoes and settles himself on the bed beside him.

“You know that was stupid, right?”

“Yeah,” the younger boy sighs, sitting up and propping up the pillows for the both of them. They lean back in tandem, crossing their arms in front of their chests.

“Yet you still did it?”

Sehun kind of wants to slap that shit-eating grin against his  _hyung_ ’s face, but he needs all the help he can get at the moment. He shifts on the bed, sitting cross-legged to face the older boy before propping his elbows against his thighs and resting his head on his hands. “What do I do?”

“Listen,” Lu Han mirrors his pose with a smirk and a wink, “Maybe you should try winning her friends over.”

“Hm?”

“You need them on your side,” the older boy explains, tapping his chin with a finger. “The more they like you, the more they will encourage her to consider you a prospect.”

 

* * *

 

Sehun huffs as he pulls out another batch of burnt cookies from the oven. What was he thinking, doing this alone?

He scowls as he sets the tray down on the counter. Quickly, he examines the ingredients he has left, realizing he still has enough to make one more batch. He hopes it works this time. He has ruined enough already.

“No luck with the cookies?” Yixing appears out of nowhere, leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen. His eyebrows raise a bit, a slow, amused grin forming on his face as he catches sight of the failed attempts gathered on the table.

“I know it must be  _very_  amusing to you,  _hyung,_ ” Sehun says irritably, as he begins to mix the ingredients together harshly, “but if you’d  _kindly_  help me with these—”

“Be gentle or they won’t come out right,” Yixing quickly cuts him off, deciding to be a little kinder to the hopeless boy. “Cookies need some tender loving care so they’ll come out right, then you can give them to Sunyoung,” he says, laughing softly as Sehun flushes awkwardly.

“Who says they’re for—”         

“Don’t even try to deny it,” Yixing says, grinning. “I’ll help you.”

 

                                                                                    

The cookies come out surprisingly well, and a day later Sehun is standing outside f(x)’s practice room.

“I was wondering if you’d like to have some cookies I brought with me.”

There is a commotion inside the room in an instant, as the girls scramble on their feet (oh how  _ladylike_ ) to get to the cookies. “You’re the best, Sehunnie!”          

“Here, try it.” He hands Sunyoung a piece as she approaches him, and the brief touch of her skin against his sends a pleasant chill down his spine.

“These are really good!” From his right, Amber all but gobbles down every last crumb. “Wait… are there nuts in this?”

“Yeah, why—“                             

“Sunyoung’s allergic to nuts!”

They both turn to Sunyoung, but it’s too late, she’s already taken a bite of the cookie.

“Quick, spit it out!”

Sehun’s eyes are as wide as saucers now, and he almost hyperventilates himself, as he watches Sunyoung grab at her throat, seemingly having difficulty breathing. Tears are in her eyes, and her face is starting to develop rashes.

_Kill me. Now._

 

* * *

 

“I messed up,  _hyung_! Nothing’s working!”

At this point, Sehun feels like running away and throwing himself off a cliff or something. He’s never felt this… defeated.

He slams his head onto the makeup table repeatedly, and a few stylists look their way but instantly avert their eyes when Yifan glares at them.

“Tell me what happened.” The tall, handsome leader crosses his arm in thought as he listens to Sehun narrate his… misadventures for the past couple of weeks.

“Wow. Sunyoung’s painfully oblivious, isn’t she?”

He glowers at the older boy for taking amusement in his misery, but the latter isn’t deterred in the least.

“Maybe you aren’t being forward enough?” Yifan offers helpfully. “You know, It’s f(x)’s final goodbye stage tomorrow. You still have another chance.”

 

* * *

 

“Did you just hug Sunyoung?”

Sehun corners Zitao the minute they step foot backstage after  _Inkigayo._  EXO has just won again today, and perhaps they're just too happy and it’s probably a spur-of-the-moment thing, but how can they just hug like that? And in front of the fans, too.

Sehun finds his grip on Zitao’s arm tightening as he recalls what has transpired a few minutes ago. He remembers seeing Kyungsoo and Sunyoung bowing at each other, but he’s fine with that. What he finds a bit too much, however, are the events that followed. Sunyoung has turned to Zitao, raising her hands up for a double high-five, before letting herself be pulled into Zitao’s hug.

He hates to admit it, but he’s jealous. Jealous enough that he feels like ripping his  _hyung_ ’s head off.

“What? I couldn’t help it!” Sehun snaps out of his  _Kill-Zitao_  trance when the other boy lifts his hands up in surrender, looking at him with mirth in his eyes. “She was smiling so brightly and was just too adorable— okay, I’m going to stop talking now.”

Sehun continues to shoot daggers at his  _hyung,_ and is about to give him a piece of his mind when he spots Sunyoung and her group coming out of their dressing room from the corner of his eye.

Wait, are they leaving already?

“Sunyoung!” he calls out before he can stop himself, leaving the Chinese boy behind and sprinting towards the girl's direction.

“Oh, Sehun! What’s up?”

“I… well, I’d like to say sorry about the cookies again...” He trails off awkwardly, before looking down at his shoes, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Amazing how being in her presence can change his mood in an instant. “Really, I apologize for causing you such trouble.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Sunyoung waves a hand in front of him, and when he looks up he’s met with crescent moon eyes smiling reassuringly at him, and a soft, relieved laugh escapes his throat.

“By the way,” Sunyoung adds, “congratulations for winning today.” And with that, she opens her arms and pulls him into a hug.

_Oh._

Although taken by surprise by the sudden gesture, Sehun returns the hug tightly, and he feels her warmth instantly flood through his body. And when they pull away, her eyes are all crinkled and happy, and Sehun could’ve sworn he’s melted on the spot.

“Thanks,” he mutters softly, “You were amazing, too.”

She beams at him, her smile getting even bigger, and so is his urge to ruffle her hair and kiss her senseless.

“Well, I’ll be going now,” Sunyoung says after a while, “I’ll see you around, Sehun.” She turns on her heels and starts to walk away.

“Uh, w-wait,” he stutters out, and she stops to turn around, two round spheres staring back at him in slight confusion.

“Take care,” he says rather stupidly, and Sunyoung giggles, affection deep in her eyes.

“Thank you. I will.”                                       

And then, she leans over and kisses him on the cheek, an act which surprises Sehun even further. She pulls away, and his heart almost skips a beat when he sees her blush bright red, before muttering a quick goodbye and rushing away.

Sehun can only stand rooted on the spot, a stupid grin plastered on his face. His face explodes (metaphorically, or might as well literally with how red his face is at the moment), before he collapses on the floor unceremoniously.

Slowly, he brushes his fingers against his cheek in disbelief. He can still feel the warmth of her lips against it.

 

 

_End._

**Author's Note:**

> originally written 15 September 2013 under **[crackshipper](http://www.asianfanfics.com/profile/view/100564)**  
> 


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